


Three Happy Lives Tousaki Ryouma Will Never Get to Live Because He Suffers Too Beautifully

by aubreyli



Category: Naruto
Genre: ANBU Legacy - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Dogs, Alternate Universe - Yuri!!! on Ice Fusion, Gen, M/M, Ryouma deserves happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 20:05:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10704153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aubreyli/pseuds/aubreyli
Summary: Tousaki Ryouma's life is full of suffering, and that is an injustice that must be corrected. I humbly present three possible corrections.





	1. Ryouma On Ice (the Yuri!!! On Ice AU)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nezuko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nezuko/gifts), [saunterleftside](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saunterleftside/gifts), [Kilerkki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kilerkki/gifts).



> My sincerest thanks to DK, Nezu, and Ki, the peerless writer group of [ANBU Legacy,](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/anbu_legacy/) for enthusiastic support of this fic. *adores*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For DK, the _Yuri!!! On Ice_ AU

Ryouma is an up-and-coming junior skater who has recently had a coaching change. His previous coach pushed him too hard, to the point of injury. Since Ryouma doesn’t come from a country with a powerful skating federation, there’s a lot of pressure on him to succeed. His current coach, Shiranui Genma (two-time World Champion, Olympic bronze medalist), is awesome for his ability to nurture young skaters and to smile pleasantly but murderously at anyone who tries to mess with his students.

Kakashi is another young skater, perpetually grumpy and brilliantly talented, who has to both live up to and live down the reputation of his father, a brilliant skater who fell from grace when he was implicated in a doping scandal. Minato (recently retired, much to the relief of every other competitor because now they can finally win stuff) is his coach, because Kakashi won’t listen to anyone else and _someone_ has to keep the boy from jumping his knees to ruin before he turns twenty.

They meet at Junior Worlds Championships, which Kakashi wins (of course). Ryouma does very well in the short program, but his still-healing injury makes him drop just shy of making the podium. Kakashi, who is interested in rivals and is also destined to never make a good impression on anyone he likes, ever, goes up to Ryouma and says, “Hey, you’re actually not bad at this.” Ryouma, who’s already hurting and has not yet learned to translate from Kakashi to Normal Person, snarls back, “Hey, you really fucking are,” and stalks off.

Thus begins Kakashi and Ryouma’s sort-of one-sided rivalry, where Kakashi unwittingly becomes an excellent motivator for Ryouma to be diligent about attending his physiotherapy sessions, while Kakashi is bewildered by this skater who always _glares_ at him in competitions, because – what did he do? They quietly follow each other’s careers and watch each other’s skates, but never approach each other because Kakashi thinks Ryouma hates him and Ryouma thinks Kakashi is a douche.

In the background, Genma and Minato sigh over the foolishness of kids these days, because when _Genma_ had a crush on Ryouma’s incredibly hot physiotherapist, he did the reasonable adult thing and asked Namiashi Raidou to dinner.

“Have you considered just asking him out?” Genma says, after Ryouma has spent an entire six-hour flight obsessively watching recordings of Kakashi’s programs.

“Why would I do that?” Ryouma asks, brow furrowed in confusion.

Genma, Raidou, and Minato do _try,_ though, combining their powers to get their stupid students in one place and create opportunities for them to work out their feelings. Kakashi and Ryouma, for example, note that they are repeatedly sharing hotel rooms at competitions, even though they’re not from the same country. Alas, it all fails in the face of the sheer magnitude of their obliviousness.

Which is not to say that they make _no_ progress. There are moments where someone makes a snide comment about Kakashi and Kakashi’s father, and Ryouma whirls around and Loudly Voices His Displeasure. And there are moments where Ryouma rips his costume during warm-up and a sewing kit magically appears in his bag. From there, it graduates to them friending each other on social media, and making tentative forays into an approximation of friendship by liking Instagram posts.

And then unliking them.

And then liking them again – before just putting the phone down because this is ridiculous.

There is a period where they don’t see each other, because Kakashi competes for European Championships and Ryouma for Four Continents, during which time they passive-aggressively but also kind of supportively send each other videos with pointed comments about technique and stamina. They both tell each other that they’re going to win at Worlds, but insist that the other person must also win _their_ respective championships too, or else their victory will be meaningless.

Their coaches are both _dying_ by this point. Minato and Kushina swear that Naruto will never grow up like this.

At Worlds, Kakashi comes first in the short program. Ryouma comes second, so for the free skate, Ryouma goes second last and Kakashi goes last. And right before Ryouma goes on the ice, Kakashi taps him on the shoulder and wishes him good luck. Only, what comes out of his mouth is, “Don't fall like you did in the warmup.” Ryouma is furious and indignant, because – _really?!_ Until he turns around and actually _looks_ at Kakashi, and then he realizes what he probably should have known all this time, which is that Kakashi is not a jerk; he’s just _really_ bad at people. But before he can say anything, he has to go skate.

Ryouma wins in the end. By an incredibly narrow margin, but he wins, and he’s _World Champion,_ and he most definitely cries on the ice and then again at the Kiss and Cry and then _again_ backstage.

He sees Kakashi once more at the medal presentation ceremony, and he thinks Kakashi’s going to be upset that he lost, and now they can’t be friends after all. This isn’t something that would have bothered him an hour ago, but _now…_ Except that Kakashi actually looks happy for him, or at least not hostile, which is basically the same thing. And some strange force inside him makes him say to Kakashi, as they’re on the podium, “Hey, you know, you’re not actually bad at this.”

Kakashi stares at him, and Ryouma thinks, _fuck._ Because that first meeting was a _year_ ago; why did he think that Kakashi would have remembered something like this? He probably meets people who say things to him all the time. But then Kakashi ducks his head, gives a soft chuckle, and says, “Hey, you really fucking are.”

Minato takes a photo of the smile they share on the podium and sends it to Genma and Raidou, accompanied with a series of crying emoticons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With love to Nezu for the Genma's exchange with Ryouma.


	2. Bring Me Java, Bring Me Joy (the Coffee Shop AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ubiquitous coffee shop AU.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from Kristin Chenoweth's song, [Taylor, the Latte Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXS0nEOx_20)

Ryouma works the afternoon shift in a coffee shop, to earn money for college. In the evenings, he bartends until well after midnight. It cuts into his social life, but slightly-more-than-minimum-wage-earners can’t be choosers.

The coffee shop is called A Little Latte, and it belongs to Raidou’s moms. Raidou is currently taking it over to let his moms travel the world, because small business owners work insane hours and his moms have basically not had a decent vacation in over a decade. Raidou is well-qualified, having graduated from business school and done a stint in the corporate world before realising he hated it. He’s dating Genma, who is their baker. Genma is ex-military, and currently in medical school. No one knows what he used to do in the military, but he once took down someone who was trying to rob the coffee shop with nothing but a paper plate, so no one is asking questions either. Satomi is Genma’s assistant, who has Very Strong Opinions about people who substitute margarine for butter. She also does deliveries, but only to Usagi’s office (Usagi is Raidou’s friend from business school and often places huge orders for her staff), and usually comes back with a blush and a dinner invitation. The rest of the staff are Ayane, who works the morning shift with Raidou, Genma, and Satomi; and Hakone, who works the afternoon shift with Ryouma.

Ryouma’s been working here for over a year now, and he likes it. The owner is nice (and occasionally performs on open-mic nights and sexually frustrates everyone present), the customers tip generously, and Ryouma is even encouraged to be creative about coming up with flavour combinations for the drinks. It is still a small coffee shop, though, generally frequented by a troop of regulars, so when this new guy walks in at five minutes before closing on a night when Ryouma’s working alone, he _notices._

“Coffee, black,” the guy says. He’s got grey hair, and is wearing a surgical mask and clothes that would make Ryouma think he’s homeless but for the laptop peeking out from his unzipped messenger bag.

Since Ryouma is a good barista (and okay, also because he’s bored), he tries to strike up a conversation with this new customer. Is this his first time in A Little Latte? What kind of roast does he prefer? Would he like to hear their specials?

“ _Coffee_. _Black_.” 

… Well, fine then. He’s lucky Ryouma is professional, because he’s seriously tempted to get the guy decaf instead. At least he tips well, which is decent of him, considering how he’s almost certainly a college student (who else drinks coffee at 8 PM?).

He doesn’t expect to see the guy again, and thus is shocked when he _comes back_ the next evening. And the next. And the next, always with the same coffee order. Ryouma tries to make conversation with him, but after a week, the only information Ryouma has managed to pry from him is his name: _Kakashi._ In fact, Ryouma doesn’t even know what the guy looks like because he can somehow drink a whole cup of coffee without taking off his mask.

“Wait a sec,” Hakone says, “you’ve been obsessing over this guy for a week and you don’t even know if he’s _hot?_ ”

Which – okay. Ryouma is not _obsessed._ It’s just a matter of professional pride. He knows that his looks and charm are the reason why he gets the biggest tips, and he needs to know why Kakashi seems to be immune. He’s a challenge. Ryouma wants to get him to _react._ Thus begins his campaign of befriending this surly college kid, which mostly consists of Ryouma enticing him for longer and longer periods of stay with a free cookie or biscotti, and asking him to taste test a new blend that Ryouma’s made up. 

“Is it frothy?” Kakashi asks, sounding suspicious. “I don’t like frothy drinks.”

It is the most words Kakashi has ever said in his presence, and Ryouma would throw his hands up in victory if those hands were not carrying piping hot coffee.

Things would have ended here, but the universe hates Ryouma and enjoys watching his suffering, because this exchange seems to break the ice between them, and Ryouma discovers that Kakashi’s _funny_ and _smart_ and just enough of an asshole to be worth liking. _And,_ once flu season passes, Kakashi starts coming to the coffee shop _without his mask_ and Ryouma’s brain short-circuits for a good thirty seconds each time because – Kakashi is _hot._ It’s not just that he’s handsome, he also has a low, soft laugh and a hesitant, slightly crooked smile that looks like it’s unsure of its welcome on his face. And a surprisingly wicked grin that reveals sharp teeth that make Ryouma’s biting kink sit up and pay serious attention.

Then there’s the ubiquitous rom com moment where Kakashi comes in one day with a beautiful woman and Ryouma is 100% not devastated, nope, not at all, and is equally not secretly delighted and relieved when the beautiful woman introduces herself as Kurenai, Kakashi’s friend who just wanted to meet the hot barista that Kakashi will not shut up about.

(Well, “will not shut up” by Kakashi standards, which means he probably said, “He makes good coffee.”)

“This is probably divine retribution for all the hearts you’ve broken since you started working here,” Hakone says heartlessly.

“You should ask him out,” Ayane advises. “I’m pretty sure he’s into you. He’s here _all the time,_ including when Starbucks has their two-for-one sale. Even _I’m_ not here when Starbucks has their two-for-one sale.”

“I will take this under advisement,” Ryouma lies, because of course he’s not going to _say_ anything; it’s taken him months to get Kakashi to hold a conversation; he’s not going to ruin this now. He’s just going to _pine,_ thank you very much.

Which, of course, is when Kakashi stops showing up to the coffee shop. Shit. What if Ryouma isn’t the feelings-ninja he thinks he is, and Kakashi found out about Ryouma’s gigantic crush on him? What if he was hit by a car and fell into a coma and when he woke up, he lost all his memories of their coffee shop? What if (and this might be the worst of all) he found another coffee shop _that he likes better?_

His saviour arrives in the form of a pretty, harried-looking girl who introduces herself as Kakashi’s-friend-Rin. Apparently, Kakashi fractured his ankle and thus can’t walk, but still wants coffee. Only, as Rin is waiting, she gets a call about a work emergency (spoiler: there’s no work emergency) and now can’t bring Kakashi his coffee! Oh, no! How will Kakashi cope?

Ryouma, out of the goodness of his heart and possibly a temporary loss of sanity, says, “Why don’t you tell me where he lives? I’ll deliver it myself. My shift’s almost done, anyway.” (Spoiler: his shift is not almost done).

“Hey, Hakone,” Ryouma whispers, “can you—”

“ _Absolutely,_ ” Hakone says, because after weeks of listening to Ryouma longingly extol the virtues of Hatake Kakashi, he’s seriously contemplating just kidnapping the man and dumping him on Ryouma’s bed with a sign taped to him that says, _YOU’RE WELCOME._

So Ryouma goes to Kakashi’s surprisingly nice apartment, and kind of feels like a character in a movie. He hopes that he’s not going to be the character who goes to his crush’s home ready to make a confession of love, only to have the door be opened by his crush’s blindingly hot significant other.

But to his great joy, it’s Kakashi who opens the door, in crutches. He’s rumpled and adorably grouchy and wearing soft sweatpants and a tight Henley, and the attraction hits Ryouma so hard that he feels it like a physical blow.

“Coffee. Black,” he says, because his brain is too distracted staring at Kakashi’s bared collarbones to make better words. He holds out the coffee cup.

“Oh,” Kakashi says. His face is doing complicated things, but Ryouma’s brain has now moved on to the way Kakashi’s sleeves are clinging to his biceps, so there is no analysis happening. “Do you want to come in?”

Ryouma does. It’s awkward at first, but then they start talking and it’s… actually really nice? They talk about Ryouma’s most memorable customer service experiences, and about Kakashi’s ridiculous course load (because Hatake Kakashi’s degrees of chill can be measured in single-digit Kelvin), and even when it starts getting late, neither of them wants to comment on the time. So they more or less just sit and talk and _mutually pine_ at each other until the doorbell rings with a pizza order that neither of them put in.

“It’s already paid for,” the delivery person says, adding to their confusion.

They open the pizza box. On the inside, there’s a message:

 

_Dear Ryouma,_

_Please, for the LOVE OF GOD, just ask him out. His crush was cute at first but now it’s getting pathetic._

_Love, Kakashi’s friends_

“Um,” Kakashi says, looking mortified.

“Oh,” Ryouma says, blankly. “So, uh, you…”

“Um,” Kakashi says again. It’s a very different kind of _um._ “Yeah, a little. But it doesn’t have to mean anything. I just… yeah.”

“No, it's okay. I... I want it to mean anything. I mean, something. I mean...” Ryouma bites his lip, because _words are hard._ “Me too.”

“Oh... so do you want to...”

“Yeah, I'd... I'd like that.”

“Wow,” say all of Kakashi’s friends, who are totally eavesdropping from the hall. “How are they so _dumb?”_

 

_Epilogue:_

“So how did you injure your ankle?”

“My friends held an Intervention because my crush on you was getting ridiculous. I jumped out the window to get out of it.”

“...You’re six floors up.”

“I do parkour in my free time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With love to Ki for the coffee shop name, and for Hakone's line. <3


	3. Dogsbody (the Ryouma-Turns-Into-A-Dog AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Must be nice to be a dog,” Ryouma said dreamily. “All the ear scratches. None of the headkicking.” (from [Light Me Up](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/anbu_legacy/24674.html)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title borrowed from the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, with the same name.

Sometimes, the universe does Ryouma favours, and so the morning after he wistfully remarks that it would be nice to be a dog, he wakes up an adorable pup with silky fur, soulful dark eyes, and the softest floppy ears.

It takes Ryouma a while to realize this. In his defense, he’s only had a few hours of sleep, and so should be forgiven for thinking that he’s still drunk when he rolls out of bed and falls on all fours. Alcoholism doesn’t quite explain the muzzle and paws, though, or the fact that his room is suddenly a _lot_ bigger. He pads his way to the bathroom and rears up to peer over the sink at the mirror above it.

 _Huh,_ he thinks, as a black dog blinks back at him. _This is a weird dream._

The next thought he has after this is that he should go see Kakashi. Kakashi knows dogs. Kakashi _pets_ dogs. Maybe Kakashi would pet _him_ too? He’d like that. Kakashi gives _good_ pets.

Opening the door without thumbs proves to be a challenge, but Ryouma is a _good_ ninja. The walk down to Kakashi’s door takes longer than usual – his legs are a _lot_ shorter, and he keeps getting distracted by all the _sounds_ and _smells_ (someone’s having breakfast in their room and it smells _delicious_ ). Kakashi’s door is shut, but he can smell Kakashi through the crack underneath. He paws at it, whining –

Whining?

Right, dogs don’t talk.

Eventually, the door opens. Kakashi smells like metal and cotton and alcohol (hah, he must still be drunk), but also like _friend_ and _safe_ and _home,_ and it makes affection glow like sunshine inside him.

“Tousaki?” Kakashi asks, as he squats down to eye level.

“Hi!” Ryouma says happily, wagging his tail. “I’m a dog. You should pet me.”

“You’re a _dog,_ ” Kakashi says, sounding stunned. Maybe he doesn’t know that this is a dream?

“This is a dream,” Ryouma informs him helpfully. “Also, you should pet me.”

Kakashi looks at him for another long moment, first with one eye, then with both. “I don’t think this is a dream.”

If Ryouma could still roll his eyes in this body, he would. “Of _course_ it’s a dream.” He should have known that Kakashi would be difficult, even in his dream. “Why else would — ow!”

Kakashi pulls back his hand — his hand that had just _pinched_ Ryouma, who even _does_ that? Kakashi is the _worst,_ and Ryouma growls, ready to tell Kakashi just that when he registers the fact that it had _hurt_ when Kakashi pinched him.

His dreams don’t hurt. They’re horrible in so many other ways, but they don’t _hurt._

“Oh.” He sits down hard on his hind legs, feeling suddenly cold. He flinches a little when Kakashi reaches out again, but Kakashi’s hands are comforting this time, stroking slowly along his sides.

They’re late getting to training, because Kakashi insists on walking at Ryouma’s pace, and Ryouma wants to smell _everything._ He does begin to see a potential perk to this whole being-a-dog business though, when _Kakashi_ is the one who’s getting chewed out by Raidou, while Ryouma gets to sit with Genma and be checked over by his warm, gentle hands.

“He really _pinched_ you?” Genma asks. Genma smells like herbal, bitter things, which is unpleasant; but also like _food,_ which is awesome.

Ryouma whines piteously and does his best to convey that _yes,_ Kakashi did pinch him, and he is _so sad_ , but perhaps, if Genma _pets_ him, he’ll find the strength to carry on.

Genma laughs and scratches him obligingly under the chin.

They take Ryouma to the Hokage, who smells like paper and ink and musty clothes (he tells Kakashi this, and Kakashi immediately accuses the Hokage of sleeping in his office, _again_ ). Minato-sama pulses chakra through Ryouma’s body, and then sits him in the center of a series of increasingly complicated seals that tickle his fur when they activate. He’s still a dog at the end of it all, but the privilege of being pet by Namikaze Minato more than makes up for it.

(“Is it wrong that I’m a little jealous?” Raidou mutters to Genma, when Minato-sama rumples Ryouma’s ears and thanks him for being so patient.)

“He’ll probably turn back on his own after a few days,” Minato-sama says. “You’re all due for a vacation anyway.”

Ryouma shows his appreciation for the time off by rolling onto his back and presenting his soft belly for tummy rubs.

Even Raidou has to concede that training is difficult with an adorable, excitable pup in the mix. They spend the rest of the day exercising Ryouma instead. Kakashi manages his usual aloofness for about thirty seconds, and then Ryouma does the confused puppy head-tilt at him, tail wagging hopefully for Kakashi to come _play._ It cracks open the part of Kakashi that is eternally five and thinks dogs are the _best animals in the whole world_ , and then he’s in as well. They take turns letting Ryouma chase them, and toss sticks for him to fetch until Ryouma learns to calculate the trajectory well enough to jump up and snatch the stick out of the air.

They head for the ANBU cafeteria for an early dinner. Ryouma, who had worked harder during the “training” than anyone else on Team Six, wolfs down his meal in record time. And then spends the rest of his time walking up and down the aisles of diners so that they can all pet him. And feed him scraps. And tell him that he is the sweetest, most handsome boy they’ve ever seen.

Except when Sato comes for his turn; Ryouma pointedly glides right past his outstretched hand and goes to cuddle Usagi instead.

(Usagi, with Ginta at her side, offers to steal Ryouma for Team Thirteen. Raidou, flanked by Kakashi and Kakashi’s murder smile, politely disagrees.)

The one dark spot on their otherwise fun day is when they encounter Kuroda (may he give himself a thousand papercuts _every day_ ) in the showers. Kakashi has to hold Ryouma back from growling and possibly biting when Kuroda makes a snide comment about mangy, flea-ridden animals and where they belong. Then Raidou has to hold them _both_ back when he sneers at Genma.

Ryouma gets his revenge, though. While he is waiting out in the locker area for his teammates to finish showering, he sniffs out Kuroda’s shoes and gives them a nice, long, satisfying gnaw.

“We should probably stop him,” Genma says, half-heartedly, as he towels his hair dry.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Raidou replies.

“Good boy,” Kakashi murmurs, and scratches Ryouma’s ears.

The rest of the day passes quickly and pleasantly. All too soon, though, Ryouma can smell the chill permeate the air as the sun sinks below the horizon. With a final fond pet, Raidou and Genma split off and head for home, leaving Kakashi and Ryouma to trudge back to the ANBU barracks. Kakashi is quiet, and he keeps glancing at Ryouma in a way that makes Ryouma wonder if Kakashi wants them to stay together, but Kakashi’s not offering and Ryouma doesn’t know how to ask.

He thinks that Kakashi looks a little regretful when he opens Ryouma’s door and then closes it behind him, but that might just be Ryouma projecting. After a day being surrounded by the scents of his team, his own, empty room smells especially lonely. Everything feels a little too big, and his improved night vision keeps picking up strange shapes and shadows where there used to just be darkness.

Ryouma lets out a soft whine, and climbs into his bed, tugging the blanket to cover his entire body.

He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he wakes with his heart racing and the memory of something chasing him through the dark. For a few minutes, he debates the merits of hiding under his bed for the rest of the night versus swallowing his pride and going to Kakashi, and decides that he doesn’t know how long this dog thing is going to last, so he might as well milk it for all it’s worth.

Still, he’s a little… nervous as he pads his way to Kakashi’s room for the second time in twenty-four hours. This time, though, he barely has to tap his paw against the door before it opens from the other side.

Kakashi stares down at him. He’s wearing his jounin blues, and has exchanged his forehead protector for an eyepatch. An orange book (at least Ryouma thinks it’s orange; his colour vision isn’t great as a dog) dangles from his fingers.

And it seems like Kakashi _did_ want him to stay, because he takes a step back and lets Ryouma enter his room. He also doesn’t shove Ryouma off when Ryouma climbs onto his bed — just shifts over to the side, making space. It calms the nightmare-induced restlessness to snuggle in beside Kakashi, and it gets even better when Kakashi drops a hand to the scruff of his neck and begins to pet him.

It can’t last; he knows that. He’s of no use to Konoha as a dog, despite his teammates’ jokes about training him to be a War Hound. And for all that he likes the affection, he’s _not_ going to spend the rest of his life as the Team Six _pet._

Still, he’ll miss this, when it ends. Things are simpler as a dog, clearer: chasing things is fun, sitting still is not, though he’ll endure it if it means treats afterwards. He loves his team, and he hates Kuroda.

He sighs, feeling his body grow more and more relaxed with every stroke of Kakashi’s expert fingers. The petting — that might be what he’ll miss most of all.

The next time Ryouma wakes, he’s human again, and naked, and holding Kakashi. He’s honestly not sure which one shocks him more, but he doesn’t have much time to think about it, because Kakashi opens his eyes (well, eye) at that very moment and Ryouma yelps and flails off the bed.

It’s not his finest moment.

On the other hand, it gives Kakashi the time he needs to have a fast, quiet freak-out, so that by the time Ryouma gets his limbs back under control, Kakashi has already gone through the shock and the relief and the embarrassment, and is comfortably settled into cheerful mockery.

“Did you forget how to human?” Kakashi asks sweetly, peering over the side of the bed with his chin propped in one hand.

Ryouma glares up at him, suddenly missing his former, sharper teeth.

A brief discussion ensues over what to do next, since they still have an hour or so to kill before training (Raidou’s goodwill has expired and they’re back to the 0500 start), and if they go back to sleep now, they’ll either be groggy or late. They decide on Kakashi getting Ryouma a set of clothes from his room —

(“Why am _I_ going?”

“Because people might get the wrong idea if they see me walking _naked_ from your room into mine in the middle of the night? Keep up, Kakashi.”)

— and picking up the flashcards. They might as well be productive.

And if Kakashi happens to accidentally ruffle Ryouma’s hair when he gets a particularly challenging set of kanji right, well… it’s early in the morning, and Kakashi’s probably still half-asleep.


End file.
